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46. The Path of Our Sorrow
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Out of the Dust, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Nature, Survival, and the Dust Bowl
Poverty, Charity, and Community
Coming of Age
Family and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Billie Jo’s father gets a job digging holes for Wireless Power. He has practice digging holes at this point, and he knows he needs money because it doesn’t look like he will get a good winter harvest either. Billie Jo thinks the job will be good for him. She also thinks he’ll save the money rather than spend it on alcohol since he hasn’t done that since Billie Jo’s mother died.
Here, Billie Jo’s father starts to turn himself around. Although he is still a broken man, he has found a way to provide for himself and his daughter. Additionally, Billie Jo’s confidence about his lack of alcohol intake implies he has learned his lesson on that front.
Themes
